Buddhist Nirvana — Its Significance in Contemporary Thought and Life

Abstract

Nirvana is generally regarded as the goal of the Buddhist life, in that it is essential for Buddhists to enter nirvana. Nirvana has been compared with the Christian notion of the Kingdom of God. In the West, however, it is often misunderstood as something negative. This misunderstanding even occurs in the Buddhist world, for the literal meaning of nirvana is the extinction or annihilation of passion, often compared to the extinguishing of a fire. But is nirvana negative? What is the real meaning of entering nirvana?